IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,662,315

Granted Patent B2

US 12,662,315 · App. 18/476,312 · Granted Jun 23, 2026

Control method, storage medium and information processing device

Inventors: Takashi Iwasa (Saitama, JP); Takahito Fujita (Saitama, JP); Yuichi Futamura (Saitama, JP); Takao Sato (Saitama, JP); Shinya Agatsuma (Saitama, JP)

Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.

B65G1/1371 G06Q10/087 G07F17/0014 H02J7/50 H02J7/70 B60L53/80 B60L2200/12 H02J9/06

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12,662,315
App. No.: 18/476,312
Granted: Jun 23, 2026
Kind: B2

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Abstract

In a control method of a stocking apparatus, the stocking apparatus includes a plurality of housings formed separately and independently. Each of the plurality of housings includes a plurality of stockers, each of which stocks an item. The control method comprises: acquiring a demand number which is a number of at least one item being the item to be received by the stocking apparatus from a utilizer of the stocking apparatus or a number of at least one item being the item to be provided by the stocking apparatus to the utilizer of the stocking apparatus; and determining a receiving-and-providing stocker which is at least at least one of the plurality of stockers of the plurality of housings and receives the item from the utilizer or provides the item to the utilizer, based on the demand number.

Claims (124)

1 . A control method of a stocking apparatus, wherein

the stocking apparatus includes a plurality of housings formed separately and independently,

each of the plurality of housings includes a plurality of stockers, each of which stocks an item, and

the control method comprises:

acquiring a demand number which is a number of at least one item being the item to be received by the stocking apparatus from a utilizer of the stocking apparatus or a number of the at least one item being the item to be provided by the stocking apparatus to the utilizer of the stocking apparatus;

determining a receiving-and-providing stocker which is at least one of the plurality of stockers of the plurality of housings; and

controlling operation of the receiving-and-providing stocker to receive the item from the utilizer or provide the item to the utilizer, based on the demand number;

wherein

the determining the receiving-and-providing stocker comprises:

when the demand number is two, prohibiting determining, as the receiving-and-providing stockers, two of the plurality of stockers consisting of one of the plurality of stockers arranged in one of the plurality of housings and another one of the plurality of stockers arranged in another one of the housings not adjacent to the one of the plurality of housings.

2 . The control method according to claim 1 , wherein

the determining the receiving-and-providing stocker comprises:

when the demand number is two or more, determining the receiving-and-providing stockers such that (i) the receiving-and-providing stockers includes two of the plurality of stockers arranged in a single one of the plurality of housings, or (ii) the receiving-and-providing stockers includes two of the plurality of stockers consisting of one that is of the plurality of stockers and arranged in one of the plurality of housings and another one that is of the plurality of stockers and arranged in another one of the plurality of housings adjacent to the one of the plurality of housings.

3 . A control method of a stocking apparatus, wherein

the stocking apparatus includes a plurality of housings formed separately and independently,

each of the plurality of housings includes a plurality of stockers, each of which stocks an item, and

the control method comprises:

determining a receiving-and-providing stocker which is at least one of the plurality of stockers of the plurality of housings; and

controlling operation of the receiving-and-providing stocker to receive the item from the utilizer or provide the item to the utilizer, based on the demand number;

wherein

the determining the receiving-and-providing stocker comprises:

when the demand number is two or more, if two or more of the plurality of stockers arranged in adjacent two of the plurality of housings are available, determining the two or more of the plurality of stockers as the receiving-and-providing stockers.

4 . A control method of a stocking apparatus, wherein

the stocking apparatus includes a plurality of housings formed separately and independently,

each of the plurality of housings includes a plurality of stockers, each of which stocks an item, and

the control method comprises:

determining a receiving-and-providing stocker which is at least one of the plurality of stockers of the plurality of housings; and

controlling operation of the receiving-and-providing stocker to receive the item from the utilizer or provide the item to the utilizer, based on the demand number;

wherein

the stocking apparatus further includes a housing for control that is formed separately and independently from the plurality of housings and that includes a control apparatus which implements the control method, and

the determining the receiving-and-providing stocker comprises:

when the demand number is two or more, determining the receiving-and-providing stockers such that the receiving-and-providing stockers do not include two of the plurality of stockers consisting of one of the plurality of stockers arranged in one of the plurality of housings and another one of the plurality of stockers arranged in another one of the plurality of housings having a distance from the one of the plurality of housings greater than a distance between the one of the plurality of housings and the housing for control.

5 . A control method of a stocking apparatus, wherein

the stocking apparatus includes a plurality of housings formed separately and independently,

each of the plurality of housings includes a plurality of stockers, each of which stocks an item, and

the control method comprises:

determining a receiving-and-providing stocker which is at least one of the plurality of stockers of the plurality of housings; and

controlling operation of the receiving-and-providing stocker to receive the item from the utilizer or provide the item to the utilizer, based on the demand number;

wherein

the determining the receiving-and-providing stocker comprises:

determining the receiving-and-providing stocker for the utilizer among the plurality of stockers other than at least one of the plurality of stockers that has been determined as the receiving-and-providing stocker for another utilizer who utilized the stocking apparatus before the utilizer, among the plurality of stockers of the plurality of housings.

6 . The control method according to claim 5 , wherein

the determining the receiving-and-providing stocker comprises:

determining the receiving-and-providing stocker for the utilizer among the plurality of stockers arranged in at least one of the plurality of housings other than at least one of the plurality of housings including the at least one of the plurality of stockers that has been determined as the receiving-and-providing stocker for the another utilizer.

7 . A control method of a stocking apparatus, wherein

the stocking apparatus includes a plurality of housings formed separately and independently,

each of the plurality of housings includes a plurality of stockers, each of which stocks an item, and

the control method comprises:

determining a receiving-and-providing stocker which is at least one of the plurality of stockers of the plurality of housings; and

controlling operation of the receiving-and-providing stocker to receive the item from the utilizer or provide the item to the utilizer, based on the demand number;

wherein

the determining the receiving-and-providing stocker comprises:

determining the receiving-and-providing stocker for the utilizer among the plurality of stockers other than at least one of the plurality of stockers that has been determined as the receiving-and-providing stocker in a first period which is a period before a point in time when the utilizer utilizes the stocking apparatus and has a predetermined length, among the plurality of stockers of the plurality of housings.

8 . The control method according to claim 7 , wherein

the determining the receiving-and-providing stocker comprises:

9 . A control method of a stocking apparatus, wherein

the stocking apparatus includes a plurality of housings formed separately and independently,

each of the plurality of housings includes a plurality of stockers, each of which stocks an item, and

the control method comprises:

determining a receiving-and-providing stocker which is at least one of the plurality of stockers of the plurality of housings; and

controlling operation of the receiving-and-providing stocker to receive the item from the utilizer or provide the item to the utilizer, based on the demand number;

wherein

the determining the receiving-and-providing stocker comprises:

acquiring a stocker determination degree of each of the plurality of stockers, wherein the stocker determination degree is a degree to which each of the plurality of stockers has been determined as the receiving-and-providing stocker before a point in time when the utilizer utilizes the stocking apparatus; and

determining the receiving-and-providing stocker for the utilizer based on the stocker determination degree.

10 . The control method according to claim 9 , wherein

the determining the receiving-and-providing stocker comprises:

acquiring a housing determination degree of each of the plurality of housings, wherein the housing determination degree is a degree to which the plurality of stockers arranged in each of the plurality of housings have been determined as the receiving-and-providing stocker before a point in time when the utilizer utilizes the stocking apparatus; and

determining the receiving-and-providing stocker for the utilizer based on the housing determination degree.

11 . The control method according to claim 10 , wherein

the determining the receiving-and-providing stocker comprises:

determining the receiving-and-providing stocker for the utilizer on a first basis where at least one of the plurality of stockers of at least one of the plurality of housings having the housing determination degree being larger is more likely to be determined as the receiving-and-providing stocker than at least one of the plurality of stockers of at least one of the plurality of housings having the housing determination degree being smaller, among the plurality of stockers of the plurality of housings.

12 . A control method of a stocking apparatus, wherein

the stocking apparatus includes a plurality of housings formed separately and independently,

each of the plurality of housings includes a plurality of stockers, each of which stocks an item, and

the control method comprises:

determining a receiving-and-providing stocker which is at least one of the plurality of stockers of the plurality of housings;

controlling operation of the receiving-and-providing stocker to receive the item from the utilizer or provide the item to the utilizer, based on the demand number;

wherein

the item is a power storage apparatus having a first terminal which is an electrical terminal,

each of the plurality of stocker includes a power transferor having a second terminal which is an electrical terminal electrically connected to the first terminal, and

the determining the receiving-and-providing stocker comprises:

acquiring a power transferor usage degree of each of the power transferors of the plurality of stockers, wherein the power transferor usage degree is a degree to which each of the power transferors has been utilized before a point in time when the utilizer utilizes the stocking apparatus and/or a degree to which each of the power transferors is utilized at a point in time when the utilizer utilizes the stocking apparatus; and

determining the receiving-and-providing stocker for the utilizer based on the power transferor usage degree, wherein

the determining the receiving-and-providing stocker comprises:

acquiring a housing power transferor usage degree of each of the plurality of housings, wherein the housing power transferor usage degree is a degree to which the power transferors arranged in each of the plurality of housings have been utilized before a point in time when the utilizer utilizes the stocking apparatus and/or a degree to which the power transferors arranged in each of the plurality of housings are utilized at a point in time when the utilizer utilizes the stocking apparatus; and

determining the receiving-and-providing stocker for the utilizer based on the housing power transferor usage degree, wherein

the determining the receiving-and-providing stocker comprises:

determining the receiving-and-providing stocker for the utilizer on a second basis where at least one of the plurality of stockers of at least one of the plurality of housings having the housing power transferor usage degree being larger is more likely to be determined as the receiving-and-providing stocker than at least one of the plurality of stockers of at least one of the plurality of housings having the housing power transferor usage degree being smaller, among the plurality of stockers of the plurality of housings.

13 . The control method according to claim 1 , wherein

the determining the receiving-and-providing stocker comprises:

acquiring a stocker temperature which is a temperature of each of the plurality of stockers or a temperature of each of the items stocked by each of the plurality of stockers; and

determining the receiving-and-providing stocker for the utilizer based on the stocker temperature.

14 . The control method according to claim 1 , wherein

the determining the receiving-and-providing stocker comprises:

acquiring a housing internal temperature which is an internal temperature of each of the plurality of housings; and

determining the receiving-and-providing stocker for the utilizer based on the housing internal temperature.

15 . A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to implement a control method of a stocking apparatus, wherein

the stocking apparatus includes a plurality of housings formed separately and independently,

each of the plurality of housings includes a plurality of stockers, each of which stocks an item, and

the control method comprises:

acquiring a demand number which is a number of at least one item being the item to be received by the stocking apparatus from a utilizer of the stocking apparatus or a number of at least one item being the item to be provided by the stocking apparatus to the utilizer of the stocking apparatus;

determining a receiving-and-providing stocker which is at least one of the plurality of stockers of the plurality of housings; and

controlling operation of the receiving-and-providing stocker to receive the item from the utilizer or provide the item to the utilizer, based on the demand number;

wherein

the determining the receiving-and-providing stocker comprises:

16 . An information processing apparatus that processes information for controlling a stocking apparatus, wherein

the stocking apparatus includes a plurality of housings formed separately and independently,

each of the plurality of housings includes a plurality of stockers, each of which stocks an item, and

the information processing apparatus comprises:

an acquisitor which acquires a demand number which is a number of at least one item being the item to be received by the stocking apparatus from a utilizer of the stocking apparatus or a number of at least one item being the item to be provided by the stocking apparatus to the utilizer of the stocking apparatus;

a determiner which determines a receiving-and-providing stocker which is at least one of the plurality of stockers of the plurality of housings; and

a controller which controls operation of the receiving-and-providing stocker to receive the item from the utilizer or provide the item to the utilizer, based on the demand number acquired by the acquisitor;

wherein

the determiner is configured to:

when the demand number is two, prohibit determining, as the receiving-and-providing stockers, two of the plurality of stockers consisting of one of the plurality of stockers arranged in one of the plurality of housings and another one of the plurality of stockers arranged in another one of the housings not adjacent to the one of the plurality of housings.